Ok, enough of that.

Next project to repel the squirrels from chewing on my bird feeder.
It's a large wooden feeder, one of those handcrafted ones, and the center grid of wire mesh is formed into a tube that sets into a seat surrounded with wood.
The birds grab the seed out of the mesh but the squirrel decided to chew the wood so the seed comes pouring out the bottom.

So, where it's been chewed and all around that wood I'm planning to paint it with black nail polish and while it's still wet, sprinkle it with the hottest ground Mexican peppers I found in a specialty food store.
The stuff is totally inedible (My Latino friends tried it and gave it back to me..that hot !)

Does ground hot pepper really work as a repellant?

Dottie,
Yes. I think that is an excellent idea!
I had a friend who had a bird house and the squirrels
were climbing up the pole to get to the seeds.
She put Crisco oil all over the pole and had a great laugh
watching the squirrels slide all over the pole.
I think hot pepper is a better idea.
Let me know if it works.
I may want to use something like that in a couple places in my garden.

I know they're going to climb in there/up there but I don't want them chewing the wood or the metal mesh as they have in order to get to feed.
So, I did the nailpolish and packed it with the hot pepper
and if it works I'll share that success.